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Mission To Mars will never go down in cinematic history as a groundbreaking, or even particularly memorable, entry in the Sci-fi genre. An all-too-predictable opening 30 minutes, where dialogue is woefully cliched and a lack of dramatic pace almost stalls the entire project before it's ... Read review
If Brian De Palma directedMission to Marsfor 10-year-olds who have never seen a science ... more
fiction film, he can be credited for crafting a marginally successful adventure. Isolated moments in this film serve the highest purpose of its genre, inspiring a s...
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From the director of Mission: Impossible comes the thrilling, eye-popping science-fiction ... more
adventure, Mission To Mars starring Gary Sinise (Snake Eyes) and Tim Robbins (Austin Powers: The Spy Who shagged Me). The year is 2020, and the first manned missi...
If Brian De Palma directedMission to Marsfor 10-year-olds who have never seen a science ... more
fiction film, he can be credited for crafting a marginally successful adventure. Isolated moments in this film serve the highest purpose of its genre, inspiring a s...
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From the director of Mission: Impossible comes the thrilling eye-popping science-fiction ... more
adventure Mission To Mars - starring Gary Sinise ('Snake Eyes') and Tim Robbins. The year is 2020 and the first manned mission to Mars commanded by Luke Graham...
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The Backyardigans in a 3D CGI animated show aimed at pre-schoolers to encourage ... more
creativity, fun and laughter through musical adventures.Join Pablo, Tyrone, Uniqua and their friends Tasha and Austin in their backyards where through their vivid imaginations they embark on amazing epic adventures around the world, singing and dancing as they go along!Featuring special episode Mission to Mars with songstress Alicia Keys!Episodes:Mission to Mars.Samurai Pie.Scared of You.Whodunit.The Legend of the Volcano Sisters.
In 2020, a group of astronauts headed by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle) set out to be the first ... more
humans on Mars. After they've landed, they investigate a strange noise near an unusual rock formation, and an unpredicted storm conjures up a living tunnel of sand that wipes out everyone except Graham. His pals back on a space station near Earth spring to his rescue despite the concern of their stodgy Russian captain (Peter Outerbridge) that in the year it will take to reach him, Graham will likely die. Nonetheless, they have to try it. Manning the spacecraft is Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), a shaky but brilliant space cadet mourning the death of his wife (Kim Delaney); newcomer Phil (Jerry O'Connell); and married astronauts Woody (Tim Robbins) and Terri (Connie Nielsen). After various catastrophic setbacks, they make it to Mars in time to discover some shocking secrets, including the very origin of life in the universe. Highlighted by staggering special effects, this ambitious Brian De Palma film straddles the void between Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and Cameron's THE ABYSS, with imaginative results. The music is by Ennio Morricone.
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Advantages: Great cast, De Palma's creative camerawork, and the overall sense of considered quality Disadvantages: First half of the film is a bit dull in places, possibly too laid-back for modern-day audiences
...catastrophe.
Mission To Mars will never go down in cinematic history as a groundbreaking, or even particularly memorable, entry in the Sci-fi genre. An all-too-predictable opening 30 minutes, where dialogue is woefully cliched and a lack of dramatic pace almost stalls the entire project before it's begun to get to where it so obviously plans to go, sees to that. Yet, come the closing reel, the expected sensation of relief it's over ... ...important distinction to make, since Mission To Mars will appear lethargic and, frankly, twee otherwise. They simply don't make 'em like this anymore, and it's rather like experiencing a time-warp back to a style of film from the early 1970s.
Let's get the plot out of the way, since there isn't much of it and the real beauty of the film lies elsewhere. It's 2020, and NASA's long-term program to finally put men on Mars is nearing conclusion. ... more
Panned by the critics, and sunk at the box-office by audience apathy, this latest movie from Brian De Palma wouldn't appear to have an awful lot in its favour. How surprising, then, to at least discover it's far from a worthless catastrophe.
Mission To Mars will never go down in cinematic history as a groundbreaking, or even particularly memorable, entry in the Sci-fi genre. An all-too-predictable opening 30 minutes, where dialogue is woefully cliched and a lack of dramatic pace almost stalls the entire project before it's begun to get to where it so obviously plans to go, sees to that. Yet, come the closing reel, the expected sensation of relief it's over is nowhere to be found : Mission To Mars turns out not to be a protracted endurance test of patience after all.
Deliberately eschewing the more contemporary approach of quick-fire editing, snappy soundbites and mind-blowing SFX, De Palma has instead created a stately outerspace mini-epic of grandiose proportions. The likes of 2001:A Space Odyssey and Silent Running come to mind as artistic touchstones, rather than the in-your-face hyperactivity of more recent Science Fiction movies. It's an important distinction to make, since Mission To Mars will appear lethargic and, frankly, twee otherwise. They simply don't make 'em like this anymore, and it's rather like experiencing a time-warp back to a style of film from the early 1970s.
Let's get the plot out of the way, since there isn't much of it and the real beauty of the film lies elsewhere. It's 2020, and NASA's long-term program to finally put men on Mars is nearing conclusion. Everything is in place, despite personal tragedy for key members of the team in the 12-year build-up. An ensemble cast of considerable thespian clout (Tim Robbins, Gary Sinise, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O'Connell, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Don Cheadle) find themselves in the frontline when things go pear-shaped on the red planet for the expedition, and they are forced to confront a mysterious force of unknown nature.
Despite the rather uninspired prologue, there is an intelligence about Mission To Mars' second half which, allied to some solid acting from the ever-dependable Robbins and, especially, Sinise (one of the finest B-list actors in circulation), lifts the film to a more cerebral level. Nielsen and Cheadle add extra weight, fleshing out a fairly weak script with believable dignity and valuable integrity. Without this quartet of stars, the film could have easily ended up on the wrong side of Armageddon's vacuuous emoting and gag-inducing God-Bless-America stance.
That's not to say De Palma fails to weave any magic of his own. The entire 109 minutes contain some expressive camerawork, not to mention a handful of superlative tracking shots of considerable technical dexterity. The crowning glory among them is the "hamster wheel" sequence inside the recovery spacecraft, a triumph of logistics that - to those only watching - seems effortless in its depiction of zero-gravity movement around the ship.
Meticulous in its desire for realism, Mission To Mars falls tantalisingly short of Apollo 13 in terms of genuinely suspending disbelief with its reconstruction of astronaut life. Some scenes just seem too fake for comfort, particularly in this day and age. 30 years ago it was unavoidable, but intentionally or not, there are times here when it's all too obvious the action is taking place on a soundstage. No revealtion, of course, but it can be unusually distracting. Sets that appear to be inspired by the Blue Peter cardboard-and-stickyback-plastic school of design begin to detract from the unfolding drama.
De Palma's other film with Mission in the title - the 1996 bigscreen version of Mission:Impossible - managed to keep the tension at precisely the right level for maximum effect, and the same applies with this movie. As the pressure intensifies for the NASA party, he maintains an uncertainty to the film's tone, so that the eventual pay-off seems all the more rewarding when it finally....FINALLY arrives.
It throws something of a curveball with its conclusion, which is likely to receive wildly diverging responses from viewers, though it's anything but a cop-out. The ambiguity to Mission To Mars' finale only serves to further fuel its reflective qualities, the story creating a full-circle of sorts which can be interpreted in contrasting ways.
Released by Buena Vista International, this DVD would have had nothing in terms of extras as recently as a year ago, but thankfully the company has now brought itself into line with the general quality of Region 2 discs.
The picture looks fabulous, beautifully sharp and free of the blurring that often occurs with an abundance of red-tinted images. Ennio Moricone's subdued score is equally pleasing, less hyperbolic than the norm for modern Sci-Fi films.
Bonus material includes a 20-minute documentary, "Visions Of Mars" - a fairly standard behind-the-scenes look at the movie in style, but it packs more fascniating insight into its running time than most. The visual aspect of Mission To Mars is the film's forte, and the featurette ably reflects this, with a Visual Effects Analysis providing yet more examples of the SFX team's subtle magic. A Production Art Gallery continues the focus on visuals, as does the Animatics To Scene Comparisons option.
Clearly, a lot of time and care was taken in the creation of the movie, although most of these extras will obviously be of interest only to a certain section of viewers. A full-length audio commentary from De Palma adds even more detail, rounding off a thoughtful and stylish package.
Advantages: Good effects Disadvantages: Pants ending
...it. Well no more - Mission To Mars has finally shown me the error of my ways. Does anyone think they can spot the type of review coming up?
It's the year 2020 and man's first mission to Mars is ready to launch. Three childhood friends have dreamed of the red planet and now they're off on a grand new adventure. Luke is going on the first mission, Woody on the second, and Jim has left the programme due to a dead wife. So off blasts the first mission ... ...on Earth, the second Mars mission now becomes a rescue mission and off head the next set of valiant adventurers - Woody, his wife, Phil, and Jim (now reinstated as he's over his wife's death). Is Luke still alive? What is the strange mountain? Do we care? Are you still reading this?
Let's be honest, this film just lacks story. I almost get the impression that the writers came up with some 'cool' scenes and then tried to build a film around them. ...
TheNeil 28.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mission To Mars (DVD)
Advantages: Quite interesting Disadvantages: Not many new ideas
...that's another story. Mission to Mars does not start well. The atmosphere of the first few scenes is typical of just about any 'real-life' space exploration movie - "Space and everything in it belongs to America, we're all really good sports, look at us..." etc. The action then skips through six months of travelling to the surface of Mars, where a remote-controlled rover is exploring the Martian region known as (wait for it) Cydonia! Of course, anyone ... ...as that word came on screen. Needless to say, contact with the team on Mars was lost. A rescue team is dispatched, and from this point on if you've seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, you've seen this. I don't have any complaints about one film inspiring the creation of another, but when half of the scenes are blatently stolen from the original movie and the underlying premise is exactly the same but with the names changed, you have to wonder if there are ...
Reficul 18.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mission To Mars (DVD)
Advantages: Great Special Effects Disadvantages: Cliched from the beginning
...the hearts of millions.
Mission to Mars on the other hand is not a terrible film, it's just that its not a good one. Once you watched it once then this DVD will probably be used as a coaster for your coffee cups, much like the valuable AOL CD'S that you get LOL.
The story is an interesting one but could have been made better before it was released on the public.
Mission to Mars - more like a Mission too Far ...
dfjericho 06.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mission To Mars (DVD)
Advantages: none Disadvantages: You name it, it has it
...goes wrong and a rescue mission is despatched to rescue any survivors. The actors on show are 3rd rate Hollywood Actors and you may only recognise Gary Sinese and Jerry O'Connell. When the rescue team arrives they have an accident and have to struggle to survive themselves with no hope of a rescue arriving. Then they discover on the surface a huge Alien Face, sound familiar. The ending is complete tosh and makes you want to go demand your money back. ...
lukerussell 26.07.2000
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Review of Mission To Mars (DVD)
Advantages: Eventually it finishes Disadvantages: Where do I start
...Thinks go wrong on the mission and half the crew are wiped out.
The film then jumps ahead as Tim and his crew including his wife make there way to Mars. There's an accident on the ship, a bit of tension and a lot of M & M eating (remember this it will be relevant later although you will be reminded).
Tim and crew try to land on Mars and the crew die one by one. The film has been running a long time and still nothing of real interest has happened.
... ...Cheadle and try to get into the giant structure that has been found on Mar surface. What they find inside will shock and surprise you. Well, I guess that's what De Palma was hoping. I burst out laughing at aliens that are worse than the alien/human hybrid in Alien 4.
The film then ends with a look back at things that happened in the film and everyone lives happily ever after.
The cast don't do anything wrong (except sign up to make the film) but ...
Ork1927 08.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Mission To Mars (DVD)
In 2020, a group of astronauts headed by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle) set out to be the first humans on Mars. After they've landed, they investigate a strange noise near an unusual rock formation, and an unpredicted storm conjures up a living tunnel of sand that wipes out everyone except Graham. His pals back on a space station near Earth spring to his rescue despite the concern of their stodgy Russian captain (Peter Outerbridge) that in the year it will take to reach him, Graham will likely die. Nonetheless, they have to try it. Manning the spacecraft is Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), a shaky but brilliant space cadet mourning the death of his wife (Kim Delaney); newcomer Phil (Jerry O'Connell); and married astronauts Woody (Tim Robbins) and Terri (Connie Nielsen). After various catastrophic setbacks, they make it to Mars in time to discover some shocking secrets, including the very origin of life in the universe. Highlighted by staggering special effects, this ambitious Brian De Palma film straddles the void between Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and Cameron's THE ABYSS, with imaginative results. The music is by Ennio Morricone.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
Touchstone Home Video; Technicolor Distribution Services
Audio Commentary, Visions Of Mars, Original Documentary, Visual Effects Analysis, Animatics To Scene Comparisons, Production Art Gallery, Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English Italian
Professional reviews
Review
"...The visual design is spectacular, and the scenes of the Martian surface look so real that the picture could have been made on location..." (New York Times, p.E20, 10/03/2000)
"...Vivid and highly pleasing..." (USA Today, p.54-6, 01/05/2000)
DVD Description
In 2020, a group of astronauts headed by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle) set out to be the first humans on Mars. After they've landed, they investigate a strange noise near an unusual rock formation, and an unpredicted storm conjures up a living tunnel of sand that wipes out everyone except Graham. His pals back on a space station near Earth spring to his rescue despite the concern of their stodgy Russian captain (Peter Outerbridge) that in the year it will take to reach him, Graham will likely die. Nonetheless, they have to try it. Manning the spacecraft is Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), a shaky but brilliant space cadet mourning the death of his wife (Kim Delaney); newcomer Phil (Jerry O'Connell); and married astronauts Woody (Tim Robbins) and Terri (Connie Nielsen). After various catastrophic setbacks, they make it to Mars in time to discover some shocking secrets, including the very origin of life in the universe. Highlighted by staggering special effects, this ambitious Brian De Palma film straddles the void between Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and Cameron's THE ABYSS, with imaginative results. The music is by Ennio Morricone.
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